Friday, July 20, 2007

Wrath

WRATH, n. Anger of a superior quality and degree, appropriate to exalted characters and momentous occasions; as, "the wrath of God," "the day of wrath," etc. Amongst the ancients the wrath of kings was deemed sacred, for it could usually command the agency of some god for its fit manifestation, as could also that of a priest. The Greeks before Troy were so harried by Apollo that they jumped out of the frying-pan of the wrath of Cryses into the fire of the wrath of Achilles, though Agamemnon, the sole offender, was neither fried nor roasted. A similar noted immunity was that of David when he incurred the wrath of Yahveh by numbering his people, seventy thousand of whom paid the penalty with their lives. God is now Love, and a director of the census performs his work without apprehension of disaster.

2007 Update: A "hissy" before it has passed.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

"hissy"? what are you, a girl?

don't get mad, last thing i want to do is incur your wrath ; )

TLP said...

Hissy? You don't have cats, do you?

Don't pick a bone with Basil. (Only the age-enhanced will get that one.)

Anonymous said...

WRATH, n. Formerly, a vinyard in California, the products of which have long been associated with, and occasionally were said to incite, riot, civil disobedience, and other forms of righteous indignation.

It has been a long time since anyone has sampled this wine, and the vinyard itself has disappeared. An old dog named Charley, interviewed at an undisclosed location on the Monterey Peninsula, says that the property was sold for development, and it now sports a Wal-Mart and an office of the Department of Homeland Security.

Anonymous said...

If wrath is a hissy before it has passed, what happens next?

G said...

Pia, I think wrath is just a strong way of saying hissy fit to make it sound justifiable. After all, we never heard tell of G-d having a hissy fit, but certianly heard the stories of incurring his wrath.

That's all folks!

Anonymous said...

Wrath: does this word have anything to do with sour grapes?

TLP said...

Oh, puppy, good one!

Anonymous said...

TLP -- it may even require the services of Sherlock Holmes to decipher your first comment.

wrath -- my more tender feelings toward Windows Vista.

Minka said...

wrath, n...best distributed with a hint of bad breath and piercing vocabulary. A treat for the nose and the ears. If you do something, just do it right!

that...or putting needles in your foes shoes.

Minka said...

Not that I have done that...like ever, but I have heard rumors. *looks at an invisible spot on the ceiling*

Doug The Una said...

Nessa, that's why I stay innocent and lamblike. We roast well.

Neva, that's woman to you.

TLP, tonight I'm having beef.

George, can we keep it?

Pia, I have no idea. I'm usually out cold by then.

G, da-dumdumdumdum dum da dum dum dum dum dum, dadadadadadadada bum bum bum!

Neva, call me Lenny.

Quilly, you should have listen to your mac-fan cohabitant.

Minka, think of your horse as your friend.

The OE said...

I unwrathed my birthday present. Yes, even covert agents have birthdays. We just don't tell people when they are for reasons of National security.

Unknown said...

i don't understand why those grapes should get mad at us

Indeterminacy said...

Whew! I finally answered all the comments. Loved your caption especially. I guess the only remaining variation of that quote would be:

"The rumors of his life have been greatly exaaggerated"

Doug The Una said...

OE, in some cultures it is believed if you know a man's birthday you own his soul.

Karma, you can only be stepped on so many times before you start to resent it.

Indie, that was a great story. If I got a do-over I'd have put "And then some people are early for their own funerals."

Anonymous said...

"Hissy" I know. Wrath on the other hand...I have never been able to associate with human beings. It is a word fit only for nature.

Cie Cheesemeister said...

When misread as wraith, a spirit that can be wrathful.

Doug The Una said...

Alice, that's a pretty good separation although I'd encourage you to learn some hyperbole.

Cheesie, when misread as wraith, the spirit of a long unseen friend.

Anonymous said...

I got it, TLP. Love Basil Rathbone.

Good one, Amoeba. I think the spirit lives on in some young people forced to read about the vineyard.

Doug The Una said...

We're talking about Sherlock Holmes, now? I never would have figured it.

Anonymous said...

My dad knew Basil Rathbone. I think he was in the Chekhov Theater Co. when Dad was Staff Composer. He was also the villain in several Errol Flynn movies.